


Safekeeping

by BoxedWine



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Protective Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2019-06-28 01:52:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15697725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BoxedWine/pseuds/BoxedWine
Summary: Bucky Barnes broke your heart and you don't why. Tony comes up with a temporary assignment to give you some space away from the team so you can heal. But you're starting to get the feeling there's something else going on.





	1. Reassignment

“Why don’t you tell me the real reason you are doing this? Explain how a week ago I was the best thing that ever happened to you and now you want to end this?”

Bucky stares at the ground. “I’m sorry,” he says quietly. “It’s just not working.”

“You love me. What we have is-”

“I don’t.” He cuts me off.

“What?”

“I don’t love you. I’m sorry.”

I stand there frozen, unable to process the cruel words that just came out of his mouth. 

“Since when?” I whisper.

He still won’t look at me. “I never did. You’re a good person, but this isn’t what I want.”

I was prepared to fight when I thought he was breaking up with me because of his anxiety or fears, but now I feel as if every ounce of my energy has been sucked out of me. I sink onto my couch and feel dizzy.

“I’m sorry,” Bucky whispers again. The coward still isn't looking at me.

“Get out,” I croak. He just stands there.

“I said, get out.”

Now I’m the one who can’t look as I hear his steps to the door and the soft creak followed by click of the lock. 

I curl up on the sofa and cry until I fall asleep. 

***  
3 weeks later

“Hey, Tony, you wanted to see me?”

“Get in here and take a seat,” he says with a smile. I walk in and see Pepper also standing there.  
“Hey! I didn’t know you were here, Pepper.”

She walks over and hugs me tightly. 

“Oh crap. Is this an intervention or something?” I sigh, taking a seat.

“No. Why? Do you need one?” Tony smirks at me. Then he takes on a serious expression. “You look like you haven’t been sleeping well, you’ve clearly lost weight, and I haven’t seen you smile for weeks. Pep and I are worried.”

I stare at the ground and fight the tears. “I’m fine. Really. I’m sorry if my work is suffering. I’ll get it together.”

“That’s not what this is about,” Tony says kindly. “You are one of my best hires ever, besides Pepper of course.” Pepper rolls her eyes. 

Pepper takes my hand. “I was wondering if you’d take a temporary position with a project in Maine. You have done a great job here at the compound, but I thought you might like the opportunity to get away for awhile. You don’t have to. This is your home and you have friends here, but trying to avoid Bucky at every turn has to be exhausting.”

To my embarrassment, tears drip into my lap. Tony shifts uncomfortably and Pepper hands me a tissue. “You know we love you like family. We’re hoping this will help you move on and find some peace.”

“Hell, just relax and enjoy yourself. It's a beautiful place,” Tony interjects. “You’re too good for the Terminator anyway. Screw him.”

I laugh a little and wipe my eyes. “What would I be doing?”

“There’s a SHIELD training center there. I would like you to be my liason with them as well as help Pepper remotely on a few projects. It’s for a few months, but we can revisit later and see how you feel.

I know I should probably ask a lot more questions, but the prospect of not spending my days avoiding the man I love, but that doesn’t love me is awfully enticing.

“Let’s do it.”

***

I pack up my quarters at the compound as surreptitiously as I can. I also leave my goodbyes to the last minute, afraid someone will plan some big awkward send off where either Bucky attends and I feel like I’m dying the whole time he’s there, or he doesn’t attend and I feel like I’m dying the whole time he isn’t there. I say goodbye to my civilian staff friends first and then the team members. Sam’s pissed but tries not to show it. He and Bucky took a while to become friends, but then they developed a kind of brotherly love where they bicker a lot. Bucky dumping me the way he did has not been good for their relationship. The rest of the team gives me affectionate hugs and I remind them it’s temporary. Wanda says she’ll visit soon and bring wine. Steve hugs me tightly. In my ear, he whispers, “I’m so sorry things worked out like this. You were really good for him, and if he can’t see that, that’s his loss.”

I nod. “Thank you, Steve.”

Tony is flying with me to the training center. He meets me at the helipad. 

“Did you say goodbye to everyone?”

I nod, but he continues to look at me expectantly.

“No, I did not talk to Bucky, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Why not? He knows you’re leaving, right?”

“Well I just told the team over the last few hours, so if one them passed the word along, then he does.”

“Wait! He might not even know you’re getting on this helicopter right now?” Tony voice goes up an octave.

“I don’t owe him an explanation, Tony. Why would he even care? No, I didn’t tell him shit.”

Tony looks taken aback, but nods. “Okay. Let’s go.”


	2. Don't You Know Who She Is?

Steve walks into the gym at 6 am the next morning. He’s not surprised to see Bucky since early mornings at the gym have become part of his post-breakup routine. He used to enjoy slow mornings waking up with Y/N and drinking coffee with her in the kitchen. 

“Looked for you last night. Where were you?”

“Around.” Bucky grunts.

Steve takes a deep breath. Bucky has been a sullen, untalkative pain since he ended the relationship, and Steve is losing his patience. 

“Did you see Y/N before she left?” Steve asks as he picks up some weights.

Bucky hits the emergency stop button on the treadmill where he’s running at max speed. “Left? What are you talking about?”

“For Maine? Her new assignment from Tony? You don’t know?”

“This is the first I’m hearing of it. What the hell? Why would Tony send her somewhere else?” Bucky stomps off the treadmill and storms toward the door. 

“Where are you going?”

“To see what the hell Stark thinks he’s doing.”

***

“You’re the one who thought breaking her heart was the best course of action. Honestly, I thought you’d hear she was leaving and beg her to stay. But yes, I escorted her to her new assignment last night,” Tony snaps, slamming his empty mug down. “Don’t come in here yelling at me when you made this mess!”

“You didn’t have to send her away! I didn’t break up with her so you’d kick her out!”

“I didn’t kick her out, Olaf. She could have said no. It’s not like she can’t ever come back. Maybe I just thought she might like a break from the guy who ripped her heart out and stomped on it. She looks like hell. Wanda says she cries herself to sleep every night. I’m trying to help.”

Bucky’s face falls at that.

“That was never what I wanted,” he says to the floor.

“But it’s the choice you made.”

“Alright, guys,” Steve says from the door. “What’s done is done. Bucky, she’s working at a SHIELD facility, secure and safe. This could be good for you, too. You both need to move on.”

He takes Bucky’s shoulder and guides him out of the office. Bucky shakes him off. “I’m fine. Gonna shower. I’ll see you later,” he says and stalks off.

Steve turns back to Tony’s office.

“Come on, Tony. There’s no need to make all this worse. It’s a complicated situation.”

“Made more complicated by your BFF.” Tony’s voice drips with sarcasm. “God forbid he drop the lone wolf act.”

“Look, I’m not happy with how he handled this either, but let’s not make it worse.”

“Fantastic. Wonderful. I lose one of my favorite employees, who I also consider a friend, but let’s all tiptoe around Barnes. I need to do some work now if we’re finished.” Tony sits down behind his desk and focuses on his computer screen.

“How’s Pepper?” Steve asks before leaving.

“She understands the situation and is taken care of.”

Steve nods and closes the door.

***

My boxes arrive the next day. When I reach the bottom of the last one I come across the framed photo of Bucky and me at one of Tony’s parties. He takes my breath away in this photo, always has. It was the first time I saw him dressed up in a suit, hair pulled neatly back and low on his neck. He’s smiling with his arm holding me tightly. My head is tilted toward his chest and I’m practically glowing with happiness. In this photo, I think I’ve found my soul mate even though I don’t even believe in that crap. I should have left it behind with all the other stuff I didn’t bring, but I couldn’t part with it. I like to take it out and cry on the glass while I knock back a bottle of wine. I stash it in a drawer until I can locate a nice Pinot Noir.

Everyone at the compound knows me so well. It wasn’t possible to hide my intense sadness from them, but these people don’t know me. I can fake it until I’m capable of feeling human again, right?

I decide to take a walk around the grounds. The facility is in a forested area and it really is quite pretty. Every so often I encounter SHIELD trainees out for a jog. 

“Hey there. We haven’t met.” The voice startles me out of my reverie.

A man dressed in black sweatpants and a blue SHIELD shirt approaches me. He’s an attractive guy with short brown hair and dark eyes. “Hey there, I’m Jack. Weapons training specialist.”

I introduce myself as another man walks up beside him just in time to hear my name. The look on his face is almost a sneer, but he wipes it away so quickly I wonder if I imagined it. He tells me his name is Winston and he works with Jack.

Jack looks like he wants to stay and talk. I catch his eyes flickering over my body, but Winston reminds him they have a meeting.

“Well I’m sure I will see you around, Y/N. It was nice to meet you,” Jack says.

Winston just nods at me, and his blond hair falls over his forehead. He gives off a major asshole vibe, but I try not to jump to conclusions when I’ve only been here one night. I continue on the woody path, but almost immediately I hear Winston’s voice. It’s like he’s not even trying to prevent me from hearing him.

“Don’t you know who she is? The Winter Soldier’s girlfriend? I heard the boss’s secretary talking about her being transferred here because he dumped her. I’d stay away from that one if a reformed psycho killer doesn’t even want her around.”

Tears prick my eyes. So much for a fresh start.


	3. Coffee Date

Bucky takes a seat at the conference table. He’s the last to arrive to the meeting.

Natasha gives him a once over and says, “You look like shit, Barnes.”

Bucky glares at her silently.

“So is it just us for this mission?” Sam asks, gesturing around the table to Bruce, Natasha, Wanda, Steve, and Bucky. 

“For now,” Tony replies. “Clint and Scott are on call, but given the situation, they want to keep close to their families. Thor is checking on Jane and Rhodey is keeping an eye on... things... for me.”

“Anyway, we’ve traced some of our intel to this particular area,” Tony says pointing to the map. “Basically we’re dealing with a group that has broken off from HYDRA with their own ideals and agenda, yet to be determined. We don’t know much, just that they see us as a major threat to their plans.”

“Which we are,” Sam says clapping his hands together.

“Which we have to be,” Steve replies. “Especially given the way they want to take us on.” He glances at Bucky while Bucky just stares at the table blankly. 

“Alright, let’s finalize this plan then,” Steve sighs. “Everyone be ready at 6 am tomorrow.”

***

I’m starting to seriously question why I’m here, other than for a mental health break. I get the distinct impression that the director of the training facility is humoring me in my capacity as Tony’s liaison. And now that I’m here, I’m really questioning what I do as a middleman that the two of them can’t discuss directly.

At least I have something real to do with Pepper. She’s planning three charitable fundraisers at once, so I’m busy helping with those. Something I can’t help but note I could have done at the compound or with her in the city. I’m not complaining though. Tony was right. This is a good place to get my head straight.

At lunch I decide to take another walk. I follow the path until I reach the gates of the facility. I approach the guard with the intentions of continuing down the path. I’m taken aback when he greets me by name.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but I’m going to have to ask you stay on the grounds.”

“Why? I’m just going for a walk. I have my ID on me and everything.”

“I undertand, ma’am, but we’ve had reports of a disturbance in the area. It’s probably nothing, but for your own safety, we’d like you to stay inside the fence.”

“What kind of disturbance?”

“There was a robbery nearby and the perpetrator may be hiding in the vicinity.”

I sigh and nod. “Okay. Thanks.”

“You have a nice day, ma’am.”

I return to the building where I run into Jack.

“Hey there!” he greets me with enthusiasm, but I feel my face burn over what I heard the other day. He seems oblivious to my discomfort. “I was just gonna grab some coffee. Make you a cup?”

I’m startled, but nod slowly. “Sure.”

I head toward the vending machines, but Jack nudges me. “None of that mess. Let me show you where the good stuff is.” He leads me to a comfortable lounge with a Keurig, regular coffee pot and espresso machine. “This is where we keep the quality goodies. Instructors and upper level staff come in here. I think that includes you.”

“Wow. It’s like a teacher’s lounge on a totally unrealistic drama program,” I laugh.

Jack makes us both lattes. I take a sip and smile. “Well if the weapons instructor thing doesn’t work out, you have a future as a barista.”

“I look amazing in an apron,” he replies, flashing his perfect teeth at me.

“Ready? We have a class now.” Winston is standing at the door. He looks annoyed by my presence.

“On the way.” Jack turns to me. “Nice seeing you this morning. Hope we can do it again soon.”

“Thanks for the latte.”

“Anytime,” he winks at me. “Seriously. Anytime.” 

I see Winston grimace out of the corner of my eye. 

Though they are out of sight as soon as they are through the door, I still hear Winston mutter, “Seriously, man? What the hell?”

***

The mission is going surprisingly smoothly. Bruce hasn’t needed to Hulk out or even leave the quinjet. Natasha is pulling intel off the computers while Bucky stands behind her, weapon raised. 

“So Bucky, how you been?”

“Is this really the time?”

“Well this is gonna take a few more minutes, and we haven’t had a bonding conversation in a few weeks, so, you know, two birds with one stone and all that.”

“I’m fantastic. Wrap this up.”

“Almost there. So, what’s with the caveman thing you have going on? Ever gonna shave again?”

“Natasha, I’m not in the fucking mood for this.”

“You’ve been in a bad mood for weeks now. I miss our old dry humor, smiley Bucky.”

Bucky doesn’t respond.

Natasha continues, “I’m sorry. The old Bucky can’t come to the phone right now. Why? Oh, because he’s dead.” 

“I know that’s some pop culture reference, but I don’t get it, nor do I care. Can you please wrap this up?”

Natasha jumps up. “Got it. Let’s go. We’ll have to decrypt it at the compound.”

Bucky radios the the team to tell them they are on the way back. They step over the bodies of the people who tried to kill them on the way in.

“Alright. Let’s get home and see what we have here,” Tony says. “In fact, why wait. Let’s get started on the way back.”

***

Bucky is on the roof of the compound stretched out on a lounge chair. It’s completely quiet aside from an occasional bird singing. He hasn’t been here since the breakup. He and Y/N spent a lot of time up here. He even kissed her for the first time, right in this spot.

~

“What are you doing up here?” Her voice surprises him and he turns around.

“Just enjoying the quiet. I’m missing the farm in Wakanda today,” he says with a rueful smile. “I haven’t been able to convince Tony to get some goats for lawn care. He says Thor does enough damage.”

She laughs and he’s struck once again by how beautiful she is. She takes a spot standing next to him. 

“Last night was fun, everyone hanging out together. I feel pretty special that I get invited when you guys do stuff together,” she says shyly.

“We like having you around,” Bucky replies, his nerves starting to jangle. He’s getting an overwhelming urge and he isn’t sure if he should act on it.

The breeze causes her to shiver, and before he even thinks about it, he puts his arm around her shoulders and pulls her in.

“Good lord,” she gasps. “That must be the super soldier serum I’ve heard about. You are a freaking radiator!”

Bucky laughs. “Yeah, it’s great in fall and winter. Summer is a bit toasty.”

She’s looking up at him and he’s taken by the kindness in her eyes. His reception at the compound was mixed, even after all of Shuri’s hard work. Most people seem fine with him, but there are still quite a few employees who seem wary and suspicious. The public is equally split. Not Y/N. He hasn’t forgotten the time she got scared during a horror movie and grabbed his vibranium arm for emotional support. She didn’t even flinch or seem to register that there was anything different. 

He locks eyes with her and slowly pulls her in front of him. He puts his other arm around her and pulls her into his chest. She is still looking up at him. She reaches up and plucks something from his hair. “You have a fuzzy.”

Bucky smiles. Fuck it. What does he have to lose? He presses his lips to hers. She responds immediately. He feels her hand slip into his hair and he kisses her harder, his tongue sweeping her lips. She opens her mouth and he feels dizzy. This is really happening. He’s wanted to kiss her for weeks. She presses her body against him and the next thing he knows he’s lifted her off the ground and he’s holding her in the midst of a passionate kiss, her legs wrapped around his waist. He breaks for breath. 

“Wow.” she says.

He presses his lips to her forehead and echoes her. “Wow.”

He takes a few steps backwards and falls back on the lounge chair, cushioning her fall. She giggles and plants her mouth back on his again. Both her hands are in his hair now. His hands move up and down her back. They stop when they are both breathless. 

“You are really beautiful,” Bucky says hugging her tightly.

“I was going to say the same,” she smiles. That smile is going to be the death of him, he thinks.

“What do you say just the two of us grab some dinner?”

“I would love that,” she replies.

~

 

Bucky shakes his head. He did what had to be done. Love isn’t something he’s supposed to have. He was a fool to have tried.

***

When he arrives back downstairs, he hears excited commotion from the kitchen. He walks in to find everyone at the table.

“What’s going on?”

“We cracked the intel,” Tony replies. “And there’s something you need to see.”


	4. Surprise Visit

I’ve been here a couple weeks and while I can’t say I feel great, it’s a far cry from the compound where I spent the whole day wrestling with avoiding Bucky versus wanting to run into him. I’ve also had a few “coffee dates” with Jack at this point, even though Winston shoots me death stares at every opportunity. I’m a little nervous about Jack’s interest level though. I get the impression he’s eventually going to ask me out, and though I’m enjoying getting to know him, I’m not sure I’m ready for that.

It’s when I pass through the lobby at lunch headed for my daily walk that I spot the familiar face.

“Natasha? What are you doing here?” I give her a hug.

“Good to see you, Y/N. I swear, I know you haven’t been gone that long, but Wanda and I are missing the extra estrogen something fierce. Anyway, we have an upcoming mission and we’re collaborating with SHIELD, so here we are.”

“We?”

Natasha stills. She’s trying to find the words when I see the reason for her silence over her shoulder. Bucky is standing on the other side of the lobby watching us. I feel my stomach flip painfully. I look at Natasha.

“Why is he here?” I hiss.

She sighs. “I’m so sorry. Seriously. He was NOT supposed to come with me but he’s a stubborn dick and Tony damn near blasted another arm off to stop him. He’s involved in this mission pretty heavily and wasn’t willing to take a backseat.”

I turn my back to him so he can’t see the emotion on my face.

“Fuck fuck fuck.” I mutter. Natasha looks genuinely pained. “I’m really sorry. I was going to give you a heads up he was here, but running into you right now wasn’t actually the plan. I know you’re here to get away and this isn’t fair to you at all.”

“Figures he wouldn’t give a shit about that,” I snap.

Natasha opens her mouth, but changes her mind and closes it. 

“It’s not your fault,” I finally concede. “Listen, come find me later. I miss you. Just don’t bring him.”

“Deal.”

I head to my office without looking back.

***

Bucky watches her walk away as Natasha joins him. “Well that went well. You’re such an ass.”

“How is she?”

“In shock at the moment, I imagine. She did come here to get away from you after all.”

Natasha expects him to yell at her, but he stares at Y/N’s back forlornly as if he didn’t even hear.

She softens her tone at that. “We have a conference call with the rest of the team in 10 minutes. Now that we know this group has at least two other cells, we need to concentrate on wiping out this threat.”

***

I manage to avoid seeing Bucky for the next couple of days. Natasha and I meet up for dinner at the casual cafe located on the grounds and we steer clear of him in conversation. Mostly. But I can’t help myself.

“How is he?”

She groans. “Sullen. Cranky. Annoying.”

“I wish I knew what happened. He just turned into a different person overnight. Turned into an ass, then dumped me.”

“Or the other way around,” Natasha mumbles.

“What?” I’m interrupted by Jack stepping up to our table.

“Hey there, Y/N. Saw you over here and just wanted to say hi.” He turns to Natasha and does a double take. “Ms. Romanov! I didn’t recognize you with the blond hair. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Natasha, this is my friend Jack. He keeps me in quality coffee.”

She smiles and shakes his hand. “Nice to meet you, too.”

“Well I won’t keep you, but coffee at our usual time tomorrow, Y/N?”

“See you then,” I give him a big smile. The biggest I’ve mustered in weeks.

After he’s gone, Natasha smirks at me. “Is coffee a euphemism?”

“Shut up!” I toss my napkin at her.

***

The next morning I wait for Jack by the espresso machine. I’m feeling a little more open to things with him all of a sudden. I tell myself it’s not just because Bucky has shown up.

When he arrives, he makes us both vanilla lattes and we chat. Then he clears his throat. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

I raise my eyebrows.

“I’d really like to take you to dinner. There’s a nice little Italian place not far from here and I thought maybe I could show it to you?”

Even though I kind of knew this was coming, I’m still a little caught off guard.

“Um, sure. Yeah. Why not? Sounds good.” Wow. I’m rusty at this.

There’s a sound of crunching metal from just outside the door. I peek out and gasp when I see Bucky standing there. His travel coffee container is crushed in his hand. His eyes go wide when he sees me. He takes a step back and I stand up straight. Staring right into Bucky’s face I say, “Yes, Jack. I would definitely like to go to dinner with you.”

Bucky spins around and stalks out of the room. My feeling of elation quickly turns to one of sadness, but I don’t let on. Jack and I plan to meet the next night.

***

“Is this a joke, Natasha?”

“No, it’s not a joke. He’s taking her off campus for this dinner and she’s going to get suspicious if we keep having security prevent her from leaving. We will be providing extra security at a distance so she doesn’t know we’re there. Jack is aware, but he doesn’t know the full story on why she’s under extra guard.”

Bucky drops to the edge of the bed and puts his head in his hands. “I’m supposed to watch her go on a date with some asshole?”

“Bucky, if you would have listened to us from the start this wouldn’t be happening. But you have to be so goddam extreme in everything you do.”

“I can’t, Nat. Please don’t make me do this.”

“I can’t make you, but then it’s just me out there with her. And doesn’t that defeat the whole purpose of your decision? Your call.”

“Maybe you should tell her what’s going on. Then she’ll stay on campus.”

“Not until we confirm they have her identity. No reason to scare the shit out of her. We know they are fixated on someone related to you. We just don’t know who yet.”

“FUCK!” Bucky yells and punches his fist through the wall.

“Get it out of your system now, Bucko. That’s not gonna fly in a fancy restaurant.”

***

Bucky watches Jack escort Y/N to his car. After more than a month apart she’s never looked more beautiful to him. She’s wearing a blue dress with just a hint of cleavage. It falls to just above her knees, and she’s wearing his favorite heels, the ones he sometimes has her keep on while he… Stop it, Bucky. He shakes his head. Jack opens the door for her and waits until she’s situated to close it.

Bucky starts the car and follows them off the compound. Natasha is going separately and will be keeping an eye on things from inside the restaurant. Bucky will stay in his car since there’s no way he’s going to go unnoticed.

Jack and Y/N are seated in the window where Bucky has a perfect view of them from the parking lot. He groans, even though he knows this is best for her safety. Watching Jack’s eyes dart over her body every time she’s not looking is causing his heart rate to skyrocket. He’d give anything to go in there and throw him through that window. 

Bucky leans back against his headrest. He wants to close his eyes but he can’t take his eyes off Y/N. She’s doing that thing where she bites her lip and smiles while listening. It reminds him of their first date.

~

She’s sitting in the booth opposite him. Bucky is nervous and staring at the menu, even though he’s been here before and knows exactly what he wants. He glances at her and she’s smiling at him. Then she leans forward. “You’re nervous,” she whispers. “I’m nervous, too.”

Bucky laughs and puts his menu down. “Busted. I don’t know why. We’ve known each other for a while, so…”

“But now it’s different.” She reaches out and puts her hand on top of his flesh hand. He turns his hand over and holds hers. She squeezes, and from that point on, he’s able to relax a lot more. He tells her stories about Steve in Brooklyn and listens to her gorgeous laugh. She tells him embarrassing tales from her college days, and he tries not to stare at her lips. She sips her wine and they share dessert. When the date is over, he takes her hand as they walk back to Stark’s car, a temporary trade for his motorcycle. 

He opens the door, but she doesn’t get in. Instead, she pushes up on her toes and places a soft kiss on his lips. It starts out gentle, but soon he has her backed up against the passenger door, tongues tasting, hands exploring. She pulls him against her tightly and he wonders if he died and went to Heaven.

When they stop for breath he presses his forehead to hers. She sighs softly and says, “We should probably get out of here before they ban us from this restaurant for lewd conduct.”

He helps her into the car. After he straps himself in he turns and leans over to give her one more peck on the lips. She holds his hand all the way home. 

~

Jack pays the bill and they stand. As they walk away he places his hand on the small of her back and Bucky restrains himself from ripping out the steering wheel. He still has to listen to Sam whine about the last time he did that.

When Jack helps her into the car he makes a point to touch her back again. Bucky grits his teeth. Suddenly, the passenger door flies open and a woman with brown hair gets in.

“Let’s go,” Natasha says.

“How many wigs did you bring with you?”

“Open-ended assignment? All of them, of course. Except the one with long straight black hair. Don’t think I don’t know you and Y/N borrowed that for some role play bullshit.” Natasha pulls it off and shakes out her real hair. “And relax your grip on the wheel. We don’t need another incident like the last one.”

“So how did the date look from inside,” Bucky asks nervously.

Natasha looks at him. “Really? You want details?”

“I could see them through the window. I’m just wondering what you thought, or if you heard anything.”

“I couldn’t hear the conversation, but he certainly seems very into her. I got mixed feelings from her. I think she likes him, but I could tell she was holding back.”

Bucky nods and tries to hide the relief on his face.

Natasha turns to him as he keeps a safe distance from Jack’s car. “You know, Bucky, you could always…”

“Don’t.”

“But-”

“I said. Don’t.”

Natasha turns her body back to the front and they watch their surroundings in silence.

When they reach the facility, Jack walks her in with his arm around her. Bucky seethes silently.  
“Well our work is done,” Natasha says pointedly. “Time for us to go to our rooms.”

“I’m headed that way. Just gonna hit the vending machine first.”

“See you tomorrow then,” she replies as the elevator door closes. 

Bucky immediately sprints to the stairwell and charges up to Y/N’s floor. He quietly pushes the heavy door open and peers around the corner. He doesn’t know why he’s doing this. If Jack goes inside…

They stop outside her door and talk quietly for a few minutes. Then it happens. Jack puts one hand on her waist and the other on her shoulder as he comes in for a kiss. It’s short but Jack has a huge smile on his face when he pulls away. Bucky’s stomach is in knots, but after Y/N gives him one last hug, Jack begins to walk back down the hall in his direction. Bucky springs through the door and practically jumps the entire flight of stairs. He flies out into the lobby only to come face to face with a smirking Natasha. 

“You are such an idiot,” she says before stepping back on the elevator.


	5. Revelations

Jack is telling me about ridiculous things trainees have done during weapons training. He’s a nice guy, kind, and attractive. Oh, I’m definitely attracted to him. But my heart hurts. I’m trying so hard to ignore it as I sip my Malbec and dab my garlic bread in marinara. I want to fall for him, forget everything, just move on. But all I can think about is how I wish he was Bucky. Bucky would be lightly running his fingers across the top of my hand that’s resting on the table. His eyes would be crinkling dramatically when he smiles. He’d order something he knows I like and offer me bites throughout the meal. He’d lean forward and look at me, into me, like I’m the only person in the world. 

Bucky is nothing like any guy I have ever been with. Then again, 100-year-old super soldiers aren’t exactly easy to come by. The reality is that he’s not easy. He can be moody, he deals with anxiety, guilt, depression, PTSD, and he can be exceptionally intense. But he’s also kind, loving, appreciative of life in a way that only someone who has been to hell and back can be. He’s funny, smart, loves to read and learn. His loyalty and love are exceptional. Just look at his friendship with Steve. I thought I was on that level with him and it’s hard for me to reconcile the Bucky I adore with the one who hurt me so deeply. I’m so angry with him and yet I can’t forget that this is the man who suffered a nightmare for decades, and rather than turn that experience to hatred, is still capable of laying down his life for those he holds dear. 

Jack is the guy I’d have fallen hard for before Bucky, but now I’m in turmoil. He places his hand on my back as he escorts me back to the car. I feel a lump in my throat because I wish it was Bucky touching me.

On the drive home, he finally asks the question I was waiting for all night.

“I don’t mean to be too personal, but, well, there’s a bit of a rumor that you were involved with one of the Avengers.”

I fight through the constricting of my throat. “I...yes. We broke up several weeks ago, though.”

“The Winter Soldier?”

“Bucky. Bucky Barnes. He’s not the Winter Soldier anymore.”

Jack glances at me. “I’m so sorry. I don’t mean to bring up a painful subject. It’s just...well, working for SHIELD, rumors and speculation about the Avengers are quite rampant. I wasn’t sure if it was true.”

“It is, but we aren’t together anymore.”

“I hear he’s at the facility gathering intel on some sort of mission.”

“Yeah, I don’t really know they’re working on. I haven’t spoken to him since they arrived.”

“Guess that’s why Natasha Romanov is here, too. Wonder how long they’re staying.”

“Right. Yep. I don’t know.” I trail off. 

We arrive back at the living quarters and he puts his arm around me. I feel tears prick my eyes as I long for the feel of vibranium, but I swallow them down and smile. We arrive at my door. We chat idly, and then he kisses me. I kiss him back. I want to enjoy it because it’s a nice kiss, but it just hurts. I give him one last hug and he departs. I glance down the hall at the sound of the stairwell door banging open, but then I go in and close the door. I pull out my corkscrew, a bottle of Cabernet, the photo of me and Bucky, and let the tears flow.

***

The next morning I swing by the lounge first thing for coffee. I feel like shit and I have no one to blame but myself. Lucky me. Winston is there. 

“Rough night?” he smirks.

I ignore him. 

“Heard you went out with Jack last night.”

“Yes. Why?”

“I told him he can do better than a serial killer’s sloppy seconds, but I guess he’s gotta learn the hard way.”

My mouth drops. “You can’t talk to me that way,” I hiss.

“I guess you could lodge a complaint, but that would just draw more attention to the fact that you were-”

There’s a sound at the door and we both turn to look. Bucky is standing there. His face is murderous. Pure Winter Soldier focused on Winston. He doesn’t say a word, just glares without blinking. I’m torn between intense emotional longing and pure glee that Winston looks like he might wet his pants. 

Winston stiffly puts the lid on his cup and rushes out the door. Bucky’s death glare follows him. I stand there awkwardly until he turns his gaze back to me. His face softens immediately. 

“Y/N, I’m-” Did his lower lip tremble? “I’m so sorry that he-”

“It’s fine.” The words rush out of my mouth. “But I’m late. I have to go.” I push past him and rush to my office where no one keeps track of what time or if I show up at all. I sink into my chair and try not to let the despair wash over me. 

***

“Bucky, we need to talk.” 

Bucky nods at Natasha and takes a sip of his whiskey. 

“I know you can’t get drunk, but it still seems early for liquor.”

“What did you need to talk about?”

Natasha takes a deep breath. “I need you to stay calm and not put holes in the wall.”

“What, Natasha? Just fucking tell me!”

“They know who she is. Clint and Wanda hit another cell and got more intel. She’s their target so they can get to you.”

“Goddammit! Fuck!” Bucky yells as he throws his whiskey glass into the wall. It shatters and shards of glass rain down on the floor.

“Bucky. You need to calm down. She’s here. She’s safe. We can protect her, but we need to tell her what’s going on.”

Bucky sinks to the floor and rests his head on his knees. “I just wanted to protect her and I fucking failed.”

Natasha drops to her knees next to him. “You are better than this, Barnes. You didn't fail her. She’s fine. You took extreme measures. It didn’t work. Doesn’t mean you failed. We will keep her safe. Just like the rest of them. Now maybe the two of you can stop living in torment.”

“Why would she ever forgive me?”

“Because she loves you. And you love her.” 

***

There’s a knock at my door. I open it to see Natasha. 

“Hey, come on in. Yikes, you look awfully serious.”

“Y/N, I need you to sit down and listen to what I have to say.”

“Oh, boy. I hope you’re not about to give me “the talk” about Jack because I’m not a vir-”

“This is serious.” Natasha’s expression strikes fear into me. 

I take a seat on the couch next to her and she turns and takes my hands.

“Y/N, there’s something going on that you need to know about. There’s a new terrorist group that has broken off from HYDRA. We aren’t entirely sure what they intend to do, but we’ve been tracking them for a while. Several weeks ago, we uncovered information that they saw the Avengers as their biggest threat. They had a plan to target the loved ones of team members in order to weaken us. The initial information was pretty detailed. We knew a lot of specific people they were targeting. Naturally they saw Pepper as Tony’s weak spot, May for Peter, Clint’s family, Scott’s daughter, a couple of Sam’s close veteran buddies, Thor’s girlfriend and the list goes on. Some of us were a little harder. They hadn’t figured out who I was close to outside the team. They also weren’t sure how to target Bucky. Or Steve for that matter, since, publicly, those two are known only to be close to each other and their families are gone. They knew going after us directly was too difficult, so they thought if they took loved ones, they could control us. Prevent us from doing what we had to do. They didn’t know about you, or at least they didn’t seem to.”

My mouth is hanging open. “But now...what...they know I’m friends with you guys?”

“Since then, we’ve uncovered additional intel. They want Steve pretty bad, and would be happy to get any of us, but they want the Winter Soldier in particular because they see it as a great way to say “Screw you. We’re more powerful” to HYDRA.”

“What? They think I’m the way to the Winter Soldier? But Bucky doesn’t even…”

Natasha cocks her head and gives me a patronizing look.

“He just broke up with me a few weeks ago,” I whisper.

Natasha nods. “When we realized they were targeting our loved ones outside the group the idiot lost his mind. We told him we’d protect you, same as we’ve been protecting everyone else, but he thought he could keep you off their radar all together.”

I feel numb at Natasha’s words. 

“You need to know something,” she continues. “And this is me doing what needs to be done. He didn’t want me to tell you this because he’s a damn moron who incorrectly thinks you’re better off without him.” Her voice rises as she says this. “He loves you more than life itself. He’d die for you. He’s been a goddam pain in all our asses since he broke up with you. He’s miserable and we all want to rip his metal arm off and beat him to death with it because he’s a stubborn fossilized fuckhead. He doesn’t listen to his friends who tell him they will take care of business and he takes drastic measures without consulting us. He’s a colossal idiot, but for the love of all that is holy, you need to know that you are the love of his life.”

I turn at the movement of a shadow on my wall. Bucky has come in and is standing near the door. He looks tense and as I turn to him, he looks half ready to run out the door.

“Is that true?” I force out as tears start to run down my face.

His eyes are wet, and for just a second I think I see his lower lip tremble. 

“I love you so much,” he whispers. “I couldn’t let them hurt you because of me. I’m so sorry, baby. So fucking sorry.”

“You said you never loved me.”

“A lie. I’ve loved you since I met you. But I’m not worth dying for. I wasn’t letting that happen. I’m so sorry I hurt you.”

I don’t know how to process this after so many weeks of heartrending pain. Bucky cautiously takes a few steps toward me. When I don’t flinch away, he sits next to me. “Sweetheart,” he says softly. “They got your name anyway. They know what you are to me. We have to be really careful about how we proceed because we think they are prioritizing my capture. You are in serious danger now.”

“If you guys thought I might be in danger, why send me away?”

“While we didn’t support Bucky’s course of EXTREME action,” Natasha gives him a dirty look. “We were hopeful that it would work. Tony really did send you here to give you a break, however, you’ve been under close monitoring. It is a SHIELD facility after all.”

“That’s why security didn’t want me to walk off the property.” I feel like an idiot.

“Exactly.”

“But l left campus the other night?” I continue and I see Bucky cringe.

“Yeah. We went with you,” Natasha says. “Kept an eye on you.”

My eyes go wide and I look at Bucky. He’s staring at the floor wringing his hands. A look of intense sadness comes over his face.

“Bucky,” I whisper. “I, I didn’t know. I- don’t know what to say.”

“You did nothing wrong,” he says brokenly. “I hurt you. Really badly.”

I flop back onto the couch emotionally drained. “What now?”

“That’s what we’re trying to decide,” Natasha replies. “Everyone else on the list is receiving protection wherever they are and we’re doing the best we can to let them stick to their routines, but if Bucky is their top prize, we think we need to take additional precautions. We are debating whether to bring you back to the compound or put you in hiding. Obviously the compound provides extreme protection, but they’d likely figure that’s where you are. If you’re in hiding, they wouldn't have your location. It’s a balance. The team is conferencing about it in a bit.”

I look at Bucky who is staring at a spot on the wall. “What do you think?” I ask him.

“I think that whatever the team decides, I will be there with you.”

Natasha stands up. “I’m going to give you guys a few minutes.” She closes the door behind her.

Bucky turns to look at me. “I know you can probably never forgive me for what I did, but I’m not going to let them hurt you. Ever. I’ll stay away the best I can, but I have to be there to protect you.”

“You want to stay away?”

“I thought you would want that. You must hate me.”

“I don’t hate you. I love you. But you did hurt me badly and I need to process all this.”

Bucky clasps his hands so tightly his knuckles turn white. “I put you on the radar of a terrorist group. I would understand if you never forgave me.”

“That’s not your fault. Bucky, you need to stop taking things to heart that are out of your control. Look at the list of people they are targeting. Do you think Pepper is mad at Tony or that Clint’s wife is filing for divorce? We are all involved with the Avengers. That carries inherent risks that we are all well aware of. But we also know that you guys will do anything you can to keep us safe. I could have ended up a target just by working for and being friends with you guys. You need to drop this mentality that you are undeserving of a life and love because of things you were forced to do in the past.”

“You still love me?” he whispers.

“Of course I still love you. And in a twisted way I can appreciate your misguided attempt to protect me. You were trying to do the right thing. Bucky, do you still want to be with me?”

“I never stopped.”

“Then we need to deal with what just happened between us. Because I still want you too. But…” I pause for emphasis. “I can’t be with you if I have to worry that you’ll do something like this again. I had a right to know what was going on. To be a part of a decision that affected our relationship. We’re a team. If the godforsaken day does come that I no longer make you happy or you don’t love me anymore, then you end it. But not before.”

Bucky nods. “That will never happen, but yes, I understand. I promise. I screwed up. I know that now.” He reaches out to take my hand. We look at each for a few moments before he sweeps me onto his lap and embraces me tightly. 

“I can’t believe you’re letting me back into your life,” he says, voice muffled since his face is pressed into my hair. 

“It might take me a little bit to heal, Bucky. It’s been rough. But I know it has been hard on you, too.” He nods against me. Then he lies back on the couch pulling me onto his chest. I listen to his heartbeat and he runs his hands through my hair and over my back.

“I’m never letting you go again, Y/N. That’s a promise.”

There’s a gentle knock on the door and Natasha comes back in. She smiles when she sees us. “Thank God. I wasn’t kidding about killing him with his arm.”

Bucky shakes his head and smiles softly.

“Was that a smile? Oh praise Thor! Time to get on the phone with the team and figure out what’s next. If the shock that the ice king has cracked doesn’t kill them first.” Natasha pulls out her phone.

After a brief discussion, the team decides to give me the following day to get my things together and then Natasha and Bucky will escort me back to the compound. From there they will decide whether to keep me there or move me again.

Natasha returns to her room. Bucky is still holding me on the couch. Finally, he says, “you should get some sleep. I can sleep on the couch. We don’t have to rush things. I want to do this right. Make this work.”

“Okay,” I reply. I ignore my gut instinct to drag him to bed. Though I may want him, I’m still struggling internally over what he just put me through. I kiss him on the cheek before I get up to pull out extra blankets and pillows. I bring them to him and he grabs my hands, pulling me down face to face. He kisses my lips.

“I love you,” he says, reaching one hand up to stroke my cheek.

“I love you, too. Sleep well.”


	6. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some smut for your Sunday. Seriously. This chapter is really just smut. Plot will resume next chapter.

I can’t sleep. It’s rather unnerving to find out you are being targeted by a terrorist group. But at the same time, and this is probably rather naive of me, I’m not that scared knowing that I have the Avengers to back me up. It’s Bucky that really keeps me awake. After the nightmare of the last few weeks, I can’t believe he’s out there on my couch. Or that he still loves me. I know it will take me some time to resolve my emotional issues over what we went through, but I feel light in the knowledge that we can work things out. I roll over several times but I can’t get comfortable. I finally admit to myself that I simply don’t have the kind of self control I like to pretend I do.

I get up and pad quietly into the small living room. Bucky’s head immediately turns to me. 

“Can’t sleep either?” he says with a smile.

I shake my head and sit on the couch next him. He looks up at me with adoration, reaching up to tuck some hair behind my ear. I lean down and give him a lingering kiss. He accepts and it quickly becomes passionate, weeks of longing fueling our desire. He pulls me down on top of him and his lips attack my neck, kissing, licking, sucking, nibbling at my ear.

“I missed you so much,” he says, his voice filled with emotion.

“I need you, Bucky.”

“Baby, you don’t have to do this. I will wait as long as you need. I want you to trust me again.”

“I know I don’t have to. I want to. I want you. Now.”

At that, Bucky stands in one swift motion shifting me into a bridal position. “Oh thank God,” he replies. “I’m dying out here away from you.”

He carries me into the bedroom and lays me on the bed. He smiles at me as he pulls his shirt over his head. I suck in a breath at the sight I’ve missed so much. He kicks off his shoes and climbs on top of me.

“My beautiful girl. I can’t believe I’m here. I love you so much.” His mouth meets mine and he takes each of my hands in his and holds them above my head. He starts to plant kisses on my neck, muttering single words between each one. “Sexy. Sweet. Incredible. Everything.”

He releases my hands and I rub the taut muscles in his back. He urges me to sit up so he can pull off my tank top. His lips move to my chest and I feel his tongue dart over my nipples before he gently sucks each one into his mouth. He continues to move down my body, pressing kisses all over my stomach. He gets to the waistband of my sleep shorts and he peers up at me. “Can I have you?” he whispers.

I nod and bite my lip. He slides my shorts and panties down my legs and tosses them to the floor. He kisses and licks up the inside of my thighs. Just when I’m about to beg him to touch me, his tongue sweeps from my entrance to my clit. My body jerks off the bed with pleasure. His eyes look up at me and I can see the sheer joy in them at my reaction. His tongue moves against me and my hips buck again. I moan. His tongue is inside me and I grab handfuls of the sheets. “Buuuuucky. Yesss.”

I fondle my breasts as he focuses on my clit. He hoists my legs over his shoulders and speeds up. 

“You taste so sweet. I missed this,” he says before he returns his attentions to my body and brings me home. I cry out and then muffle myself. I’ve been spoiled by the soundproofing at the compound. I have no idea if this facility affords the same privacy. He continues to lick as I writhe above him and gently tug at his hair. He stops when my body stills, and he kisses his way back up my body. I pull him down for a kiss and feel his hardness through his jeans. He stands to kick them off, along with his boxer briefs. 

He climbs back over me. I reach down to stroke him. His head drops to my shoulder and he thrusts into my hand a few times. Then he uses his knees to push my legs apart. He places himself at my entrance and looks intently into my face as he pushes in. The stretch after all this time apart is delicious. I wrap my legs around his waist.

“Oh, doll,” he says in my ear. He slides in and out slowly. I relish the feel of his broad chest pressed against me and I clutch his biceps. His hips maintain a steady rhythm and memories of the last few weeks fade away for the time being. I urge him to the side and we roll over. Now I’m on top rolling my hips over him. He tilts his head back and moans. His hands move up and down my back then move around to gently squeeze my breasts. I move faster as I place my hands on his chest for balance. His hands move up and down, caressing my breasts, stomach and then finding my clit. I lean down to mark his neck and he wraps his arms around me tightly, thrusting up into me frantically. 

He suddenly grabs my hips and moves me to the bed next to him. We get on our knees and he presses his front to my back. He enters me from behind, while his flesh hand holds my upper body against him. His metal fingers rub at my clit. I feel my second orgasm coming on. “So close.” I gasp out. 

“Let go, baby. Want to feel you.” He moves his fingers faster and thrusts his hips harder. I fall forward and push back against him, meeting him at every thrust. When I cry out his movements become erratic. He pulls me back up to him and moans in my ear as we come together. Then we fall to the bed and he pulls me onto his chest.

“I will never let you go again,” he says, wrapping his arms around me. “Never.”

He pulls the blanket over us and we finally get some sleep.


	7. Threat

When I wake up the next morning, I have to stifle a giggle. Bucky is wrapped around me, nearly on top of me, as if he were afraid I’d sneak away in the middle of the night. I relish in the warmth of his body and breathe in his scent. He’s snoring softly, so I press my lips under his stubbly chin, as close to his mouth as I can get and wake him with soft kisses. He stirs and pulls my body up so I face him.

“Hi.”

“Hi, baby.” His eyes roam over my face and he strokes my hair. He places chaste kisses all over my cheeks and forehead.

“I missed this.” My voice is barely a whisper.

“I feel like I can breathe again,” Bucky says just as softly. “And I meant what I said last night. I’ll earn your trust back, whatever it takes. I will never hurt you like this again, or withhold that kind of information.”

There’s a knock at the door. I give Bucky one last kiss and hop off the bed while pulling on his shirt that was tangled in the sheets. Natasha is standing there. 

“Think you guys were loud enough last night? That was quite the show you two put on.”

My mouth drops in horror.

Natasha bursts out laughing. “I’m messing with you. I didn’t hear anything. I just couldn’t resist.” She points to Bucky’s shirt.

“You’ve been spending too much time with Tony,” I groan.

Bucky joins us in just his jeans. Natasha smiles knowingly. “I hate to interrupt you two, but the helicopter is picking us up at 5. Let’s get your stuff packed and then you can say your goodbyes.”

“Oh crap.” The realization hits me.

“What’s wrong?”

I put my face in my hands. “This is gonna be really awkward with Jack.”

Bucky manages to wipe the satisfied smile off his face before I see it. “I’m sure he’ll understand. It was one date. Just tell him Tony needs you back.”  
“I should probably go do this now. I usually see him for coffee around this time.”

“I can go with-”

“No, Bucky. He’s been really kind to me. I don’t want to make this worse than it has to be.”

Bucky nods and a guilty look crosses his face.

I head back to my room and pull on jeans and a scoop neck shirt. I slip on some flats and brush my teeth quickly. 

“Okay. I’m going to go talk to him, then I will grab the stuff in my office. I don’t have much there so it won’t take long.”

Bucky kisses my forehead. “We’ll start getting your stuff together up here.”

I take the stairs as a stall tactic. I am really not looking forward to this conversation and I’m disappointed Jack is by the espresso machine as usual. Part of me was hoping for an excuse to avoid this. He flashes me a huge smile and my stomach flips.

“What will it be this morning? I’m having an Americano.”

“Jack, I have some news.” I fidget awkwardly and move the creamer around on the counter. “It turns out that I’m needed back at the compound. Tony’s flying me back this evening. I know it’s sudden and unexpected. I’m so sorry.”

Jack looks taken aback. “Oh. Oh wow. Well damn. I was really enjoying getting to know you, but you gotta do what the boss says, I guess.” He forces a phony laugh and guilt twists my stomach. 

“Jack, I’m really sorry. I had a wonderful time the other night, but the timing just isn’t right. I want you to know that you’ve really been great to me in a tough time and I’m so appreciative of it.”

“Of course. Absolutely. It was a pleasure getting to know you, Y/N. I wish you the best. Maybe we will see each other again one day.”

I nod and smile. I start to turn when Winston walks through the door. He doesn’t acknowledge me, just starts pouring a cup of coffee from the pot. As he stirs his milk in, he casually remarks to Jack, “Told you not to mess with this one. I hear Romanov is heading out too. I assume the Soldier is leaving, as well, and isn’t that all just a happy coincidence.”

He finally turns to acknowledge me. “Worked things out with the boyfriend, huh? Kind of you to fuck my buddy over here first though.”

“What is your problem?” I yell, weeks of frustration coming out finally. “With me or Bucky? My life is none of your business. You don’t even know me!”

Winston slams his mug down and coffee sloshes all over the counter. “My problem is that I joined SHIELD to protect people. And now they team up with a man who spent 70 years murdering people like us. And people like you who want to pretend that he isn’t a cold-blooded killer.”

“Details of the Winter Soldier program have been well documented since the Internet dump of classified documents. Everyone knows what they did to him. He is not responsible for what HYDRA made him do.” I’m so angry my vision blurs out.

“Tell that to my grandfather who was one of the many people he slaughtered during his reign of terror.”

I’m speechless and Jack is staring at the ground. Obviously, he already knew this story and is unsure what to say at this point. “I’m so sorry about your grandfather,” I say trying to keep my voice calm. “And I can assure you that Bucky is too. Perhaps I better just be on my way. Jack, goodbye. I’m sorry about all this.”

I walk stiffly out of the lounge and hurry to my office where I sit down in my chair and try to gather myself. I begin to gather my papers and place them in the appropriate files and toss the supplies I brought with me into an empty shopping bag. 

I gather everything into my arms and head for the door but the sudden blare of an alarm startles me so badly I drop most of the files and papers scatter everywhere. I set the rest of my stuff down and step out in the hall. Agents are rushing around and I hear someone call out to head to the armory. 

“What is going on?” I ask an agent. 

“That alarm means there’s some sort of threat on the facility. You need to head to one of the safe rooms.”

“Where?”

“Just go to the-”

“I’ve got her,” says a voice behind me. I turn to see Jack. “I’ll escort her there. It’s on the way to my assigned reporting location.” He puts his arm around me and guides me down the hall. “You okay?” he asks. “It’s probably nothing. Last time we had one of these, it was bad intel.”

“Yeah, it just scared me. It’s so loud,” I call to him over the blaring. We pass through the lobby where I happen to glance up and see Winston glaring at us. Jack guides me through another door, and I glance at Winston one more time before we pass through. He narrows his eyes and starts down the stairs towards us. Jack doesn’t stop. We make our way down an empty hallway. 

“Where is everybody?”

“This is the back way. Most people will come through the main corridor,” Jacks says. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a bottle of water. “Here,” he says. “No telling how long this will take and you may get thirsty in there.”

“Thanks.”

The door behind us clangs open. We both look back and see Winston making his way after us. 

“What are you doing?” he calls out.

“I’m dropping her at the safe room on the way to my check in point,” Jack says, still urging me along.

Winston’s footsteps speed up and Jack suddenly gets a strange look on his face. He glances at me nervously and then back at Winston. Suddenly he pushes me forward. “Go until you reach the door around the corner. I’ll be right there.”

I look at Winston again and the look on his face gives me a bad feeling, so I follow Jack’s instructions. I can hear them arguing in low voices as I wait at the windowless double doors. I hear a bump against them as if someone is on the other side. The door jiggles as if that someone is trying to get through. I put my hands on the handle to open it, but then I have second thoughts. There’s a possible threat and I don’t know where this door leads, or who is on the other side. Maybe I should wait for Jack. I don’t have long to think about it because there’s a sudden pain in the back of my head and everything goes black.


	8. More Than SHIELD

Bucky carefully places Y/N’s things in boxes, wrapping anything that seems remotely breakable. After weeks of misery, he relishes in the happiness he feels pulling her clothes from the drawers so he can take her home. With him. In his head he’s creating a list of things he plans to do and places to take her to make up for every bit of pain he caused. He’ll get advice from Stark about planning a luxury vacation for her, anywhere she wants to go. He also adds his therapist to his mental to do list. Maybe she will be willing to meet with both of them and help him find ways to constructively channel his fears and worries in the relationship. 

He opens her bedside drawer and freezes when he sees the photo of them inside. He can’t believe she brought this. He takes it out and looks at it closely. She’s stunning in it. Happiness absolutely radiates off of her. He wraps it with care and places it in her clothing box.

That’s when the alarm goes off.

***

I come to in what I guess must be the trunk of a car. My hands are tied behind me and my feet are bound as well. I’m also gagged with a throbbing head. The car takes an abrupt right turn and I roll into something. Someone. Someone else is here. I can’t see in the darkness but I think it’s Jack and he’s still unconscious. I roll on my back and kick at the trunk door. When that yields no results, I kick at the lights. My hands are too tightly bound to make use of them. I can’t even maneuver my back to close enough to the lights to try and use my hands to push them out. I feel the car take another sharp turn. I roll into Jack again. I wriggle my body around hoping in vain that there is a forgotten tire iron or anything that can be used as a weapon. I find nothing. Finally, I just position myself the best I can to kick my legs out at whoever opens the trunk. It’s all I can do.

***

“Natasha, I can’t find her,” Bucky snaps into his comm as he rejoins the frenzy of agents taking their positions. “No one has seen her. I just checked all the safe rooms and she’s not in any of them.

“Stark and the team are already on their way,” Natasha responds. “I’ve swept the rest of the main floor. We need to cover one small area near you and then we can move up.”

Bucky opens the door to a hallway. “I’m going to check down here.”

The hallway is empty. Bucky walks all the way to the end and reaches the double doors. His foot kicks something and it goes rolling. He looks down to see a bottle of water bump the wall. Next to a shoe. A gray flat. A feeling of dread fill Bucky’s stomach as he crouches down to pick it up. He knows it’s Y/N’s before he even stands up again. He shoves through the doors as fear courses through his body. He’s now outside. There’s a dumpster and enough space to park a couple of cars. 

“Natasha,” he croaks into his comm. “Someone took her. She’s gone.”

***

It’s while I wait, prepared to shove my feet violently into my kidnapper, that I realize I only have one shoe on. Of all days not to wear heels, I think. As the car continues its journey, I nudge Jack every so often. I get a grunt and a groan once in a while, but that’s all. At least he’s alive. 

The car feels like it's going down a dirt road now with all the bumping and jerking. When it finally comes to a stop and shuts off, I feel bile in my throat. The fear makes me dizzy for a moment, but I draw my legs in. The trunk flies open and the natural light blinds me. I throw my legs out as hard as I can and my feet connect with a person who yells out and groans. It sounds like he falls on the ground, followed by more moaning. I desperately try to wriggle toward the opening, but of course I’m not fast enough. The figure stands back up and growls, “You fucking bitch. You’re going to regret that.” My eyes are slowly adjusting to the light when he grabs me by the hair and hauls me out of the trunk. The pain is excruciating and I try to scream through my gag. He throws me to the ground and kicks me in the stomach for good measure. I curl up and try not to vomit.

He turns around and starts to drag Jack out of the trunk. He struggles more since Jack is taller and heavier, but he drops him on the ground next to me. I turn to look at Jack, to see if he’s okay and I’m overwhelmed with confusion. It’s Winston that I see. His face is bloody and bruised, but it’s definitely Winston. I slowly turn my head to look up. Jack is looking down at me with a vicious sneer. 

***

When the team arrives, Bucky is pacing back and forth in the conference room they’ve commandeered. SHIELD agents are already out and about searching for signs of Y/N. He’s numb. If he could feel, he’d be afraid of how much he resembles the Winter Soldier right now. Emotionless and ready to kill.

The rest of the team joins him, led by Tony. Before Bucky can get a word out, Tony holds up his hand to stop him. “I know where she is. We are going to plan our approach and go get her. Now.”

“What do you mean you know where she is?”

“Tracker. You know how I love my gadgets. I slapped a few on some of her favorite things before sending her here. You know, just in case.”

“Her phone is here. I found it smashed in the dumpster where they took her.”

“Phones are too obvious. You may not be aware of this but I pay incredible attention to detail. I know her favorite purse, her favorite sports watch, her favorite shoes and so on. It’s the watch today. I’m tracking her with the watch.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this when you were on the way?” Bucky yells. “I could already be there!”

“Exactly. You would have gone after her alone. And while I’ve certainly come to trust you in a fight, where she’s concerned, I’m not sold on your judgement or self preservation abilities. Now we will do this together.”

***

Jack drags me into the cabin first and ties me securely to a chair and to the support beam it’s leaning against. Then he goes back outside and drags Winston in. He gets tied to the radiator and passes back out.

Jack comes over and kneels in front of me. He takes my gag off and smirks at me. 

“I don’t understand.” My words are raspy, mouth dry from the gag.

He places his hands on my knees and runs them up my outer thighs. “Pretty and feisty. I’m gonna have a hell of a bruise from that kick. I guess I can see why the Soldier likes fucking you.” Then he slaps my leg and stands up.

“Winston? What did you do to him? He needs medical attention.”

“Winston should have minded his own damn business instead of worrying about where I was taking you.”

“What do you want?” 

He ignores me as he roots through his bag. He seems to be thinking. Finally he looks at me again. “You guys sure made a mess for me deciding to leave today. I had to play it by ear.”

He walks out of the cabin and brings in another bag from the car which he plops on the table. He picks up a communication device and steps back out on the porch. He’s speaking to someone but I can’t make out what he’s saying. Then he comes back in and plops down on the couch to stare at me. 

“We will be extracted in few hours.”

“Extracted by who?” I scream.

“You know, it’s funny. You showing up. My assignment was just to infiltrate SHIELD. I had nothing to do with the Avenger takedown mission. Then, boom, there you were. The Winter Soldier’s girlfriend right in front of me on campus. So then it became my job to keep tabs on you. We knew you were there for more than just a work assignment because Stark had you under a special security watch.” He gets up and walks over to me again. He strokes my hair and I jerk away. “That’s my girl.” He laughs. “It took us a while to find the Soldier’s weak spot, and then you literally dropped right in my lap. I have to thank you because being the one that lures in the Soldier is going to seriously drive me up the ranks.”

My heart sinks. “What are you going to do?”

“We’ll take you back to our base of operations, use you as a negotiating tool. Perhaps your boyfriend will be willing to make a trade? Especially since I suspect you two worked out whatever your little tiff was. That’s actually not for me to decide.”

“What about Winston?”

Jack snorts. “I tried to feel him out as a potential recruit. He has one hell of a grudge against your boyfriend and the Avengers by association. He’s even becoming rather jaded toward SHIELD, but in the end, I wasn’t convinced he’d shift his loyalty. Maybe they will see a use for him, but more than likely I will have to kill him.”

“He was your friend.”

“I like you more.” He runs his knuckles down my cheek. “I’m hoping we’ll get to know each other better while we strike a deal with your friends.”

I spit in his face. He pulls his hand back and slaps me so hard my ears buzz and I feel my lip split. He grabs my hair and jerks my head back. “Behave yourself. I’ve had more than a few fantasies about you. You won’t enjoy them.”

The door opens and Jack’s head jerks up. “You’re supposed to signal me first,” he says to the entering man. “I could have shot you.”

“Who is he?”

Jack smirks at me. “My backup. He’s been here since you showed up, just in case. Worked out pretty well today. He helped me drag the two of you out of the facility.”

The man has a shaved head and thick build, though he’s not particularly tall. He looks me over. “I can see why you took a liking to this one.”

I give him a look of disgust just as Winston stirs. He looks around, thoroughly confused.

“What the hell is going on?” He starts coughing. His eyes settle on me and they widen in shock. “What the hell, Jack. Why are we tied up?”

“The price you pay for holding a grudge and being too nosy, I suppose.” Jack sits down and faces Winston. He’s holding a gun in his hand. 

Winston stares at him a for a minute, then finally says, “So you’re not really SHIELD, I take it.”

“Well I am, that’s just not all I am.” Jack’s smile is creepy “It’s funny. She and the Soldier are about to get theirs. If you would have stayed out of it, you could have gone on about your life and enjoyed their tragedy.”

“Jesus, you’re the reason she was under a security watch.”

“You’re a nice guy when you aren’t harping on the past, Winston. Play your cards right and I’ll at least make it look like you died trying to protect her. You’ll be a hero and all that. Line of duty.”

Though he’s trying to be subtle, I can see Winston struggling with his restraints. If they are anything like mine, he’s screwed.

Jack and his partner step back out on the porch to discuss the upcoming extraction. Winston looks at me, his mouth moving, but no words coming out at first.

“I’m so sorry,” he finally utters. “I had no idea. I saw you guys going down that hall toward the exit and it made no sense why you would be going that way. But I never...I never thought…”

“It’s okay,” I say quietly. “Nobody knew. And take it from me. He’s a hell of an actor.”

“He’s been with SHIELD forever. He knows their operations inside and out. He was training me for God’s sake. And I can’t make any headway with these fucking restraints!” His voice rises at the end of his sentence as he gives one last violent jerk against the rope tying his hands.

“Bucky will know I’m missing by now. The Avengers will come for us. I promise.”

“I didn’t do my job. I’m sorry.” Winston stares at the floor. 

“This is not your fault. He’s part of a breakoff faction from HYDRA. SHIELD failed to see they were being infiltrated. Again.” I tell him the rest of what I know and Winston looks devastated.

Eventually Jack and company step back inside and take a seat at the kitchen table. Jack keeps looking at me in a way that turns my stomach. “Please hurry, Bucky.” I think to myself. “Please.”


	9. Trade

The team surrounds the cabin, minus Wanda and Sam, who had been dispatched on another mission the day before. If it weren’t for Bucky’s fear of getting Y/N killed, he’d already be inside ripping whoever took her to pieces. 

“We don’t know who is inside or what kind of weapons we are dealing with. There are four heat signatures registered, so it seems there are three hostiles holding her. I want Scott to go in and scope out the situation,” Steve dictates through the comms.

“I’ve got this,” Scott replies. He takes off running and shrinks out of sight once he exits the treeline. The only sign of him is the occasional leaf rustling along the ground. Bucky digs his fingers into a tree to soothe his nerves.

Scott easily inserts himself between the gap in the door and the floor. He’s immediately taken aback to see two figures tied up and beaten rather than one. He cautiously approaches Y/N. Her eyes are closed, lip bloody, cheek and eye swollen and bruised. “Man I do not want to be the guy who did that when Barnes gets in here,” he thinks to himself. The other figure is a man who appears to be in even worse shape and passed out. Scott walks over to inspect the knots securing her. These guys know what they are doing. At his miniature size, it would take him some time to free the captives. He also notices some wires under Y/N’s chair. Upon closer inspection he discovers there is some sort of explosive device.

Two men are sitting at the table talking about their upcoming extraction in great detail much to Scott’s delight. They have quite the arsenal of weapons laid out on the table. Then the conversation shifts to Y/N, much to his disgust. He turns back around to look Y/N over again. She still hasn’t moved. He scales her chair to assure himself she’s breathing before heading back out there. He feels like the better the news he can deliver to Bucky, the better off everyone is.

He bumps against her thigh and her eyes pop open. It takes her a moment to spot him, but when she does, she gasps slightly, which she then covers with a cough. The men glance over, but return to their discussion. She nods and gives a small smile. Scott waves and slides off the chair, returning to the trees outside.

“I have good news and bad news,” Scott says into the comms. “First of all Y/N is okay. She has taken some hits but she saw me and knows I’m here. Also there are only two hostiles, not three. There is a man tied to the radiator in there. He’s unconscious but alive. These guys are going to be extracted in a couple hours, but as they aren’t expecting much difficulty, there are only three people coming as part of that team.”

“Sounds easy so far,” Bucky says. “What’s the bad news?” 

“They have a crapload of weapons and there is an explosive device under Y/N’s chair. It’s just in case they end up in a situation like, well, the one they don’t know they are in yet, with us outside. The guy has a remote to blow it if he chooses to. But it does not seem to be rigged to detonate by her moving. Just by him. However, that kind of screws up our option to storm the place and take them by surprise.”

“Well I guess that rules me out then,” Bruce sighs.

Bucky’s fingers rip a chunk out of the tree. How did he go through so much hell only to end up with his girl sitting on a bomb anyway?

“Then we trade.”

“What?” snaps Steve.

“I’m the one they want. We trade. Her for me.”

“No.” Steve sounds pissed. 

“We can’t risk him pushing that button. We have to talk to them. See what they want. But we already know what that is.”

“Look,” Tony interrupts. “Maybe this isn’t the worst thing, Steve. We get her and, hopefully, the other civilian out of there and then we can actually go in and fight them, take them by force. We won’t let them leave with Barnes.”

Steve releases an exasperated sigh. “How do you want to do this?”

“Look, whoever did this took her right from SHIELD’s campus. Their timing was perfect. Maybe there is someone inside SHIELD involved, meaning the people in the cabin may already be aware that Bucky and I are in the area,” says Natasha. “You guys stay back and don’t reveal your presence. Let them think it’s just the two of us they are negotiating with for now.”

“Great. Let’s do this. Now,” Bucky snaps.

He steps out of the trees before anyone can stop him and Natasha reveals herself a moment later. There’s a clatter inside like something being dropped on the floor. A bullet whizzes through a cracked window and just barely misses Bucky’s arm.

“Stay back!” A voice yells. “I will kill her.”

Bucky puts his hands up. “She’s not the one you’re after and we both know it.”

“Are you proposing an exchange?”

“Yes.”

Y/N’s voice can be heard from inside the cabin. It sounds hoarse, but he hears, “No, Bucky. Don’t!”

“Love sure makes you say stupid things.” This voice from the cabin is different. The familiarity pricks at Bucky’s awareness. “Alright. We can do this. The Widow doesn’t take one step forward. The Soldier will come in and we will release the woman to the Widow. Then they will leave immediately or risk us killing you and our other hostage.”

“Who is the other hostage?”

“Don’t worry about that. He’s not going anywhere. Insurance. Now, lets see you remove all your weapons. All guns. All knives. And I know you have them everywhere. Screw with me and she dies at the push of a button.”

Bucky makes a show of removing everything and laying it on the ground. Then he walks toward the cabin with his hands in the air.

“These two cocky assholes really don’t know what they are getting into do they? So confident they can control the Winter Soldier,” Tony remarks snidely into the comms. He and Bucky may not be close, but he takes it personally when any of the Avengers are underestimated.

He pushes the door open with his foot to see both men with large weapons pointed at him. Bucky has never seen the first guy before, but when his gaze shifts to the other, he can barely contain his shock. Jack shrugs at him. “And you thought it was bad when I just wanted to hook up with your girl.”

Bucky clenches his fists and turns to the rest of the room. Even with a bloody face, he recognizes Winston instantly. His stomach turns when he sees Y/N’s bloody and bruised face. Her eyes are wet and she’s shaking her head in despair at his deal.

“Okay, you go untie her so you can take her place in the seat.”

Bucky takes measured steps toward her, afraid if he goes too fast he will startle one of them into shooting. He kneels down in front of her and gently runs his thumb over her lips, stopping before the split.

“Baby,” he whispers.

“Don’t,” she whispers back. “Fight them. They cannot have you again. I can’t live with that.”

“They will kill you, sweetheart. You know I can’t let that happen.”

Tears stream down her face as he works at the knots holding her. Every time he removes a restraint he massages the area around the raw skin. Once they’ve all been removed he helps her stand. She’s been bound and sitting for so long she struggles to stay up so Bucky holds her against his body, supporting her weight.

“Natasha is outside and she’s going to take you somewhere safe.”

“No! I’m not leaving you with them,” she sobs desperately.

“I’m losing patience,” Jack interrupts. “We can keep you both if that’s what you want. You know I’m fine with a second date.”

Bucky growls and almost lunges at him, but Jack shifts the gun to point directly at her head. “You’re fast. But are you fast enough?” Jack sneers.

Bucky looks into her eyes. “Please. I love you. It will be okay.” He looks at her intensely. He knows she saw Scott and tries to convey wordlessly that the team is there to back him up by shifting his eyes toward the woods. 

“Thirty seconds, then I tie her up in the bedroom,” says the second man. Murder flashes in Bucky’s eyes, but he kisses her gently, mindful of her injuries. “Go to Natasha. I love you.”

“I love you, too.” This time she obeys.

Natasha whisks her into the woods and out of sight immediately. 

“How do we know she won’t circle back around?” says the accomplice. 

“The team is on the way. In the meantime, if she tries anything, we blow him sky high,” Jack responds as he gestures to Bucky to sit in Y/N’s chair.

Bucky takes a seat and realizes Winston is awake and has been watching. The two captors are talking to each other so Bucky takes the opportunity to nod his head to the trees outside.

“Avengers?” Winston mouths.

Bucky nods. He observes the two men who keep their weapons at the ready, but, in his opinion, aren’t nearly paying him the mindful attention he deserves. He’s just a little offended given the reputation he built over 70 years.

“So now what?” Winston asks them. 

“We’ll be out of here shortly. We need you to discourage the Black Widow from thinking she should try and bust in here.”

Winston strains fruitlessly at his ropes. Then he raises his voice. “I am an agent of SHIELD! I am not just some civilian! I know that this job could entail laying down my life and I expect that to be taken into consideration! What needs to be done must be done to stop you!”

Both captors look baffled at his outburst. Jack rolls his eyes and opens his mouth, but before he can speak, glass shatters on all sides and the door is kicked in by Iron Man. The captors are totally caught off guard thanks to Winston’s outburst, and Bucky is able to spring from the chair before Jack has the opportunity to detonate it. But he recovers quickly and opens fire, shooting several bullets in Winston’s direction. Winston yells out in pain, but is silenced by a heavy weight landing on top of him. 

Tony, Natasha, Scott, and Clint subdue the men quickly. Bucky struggles to pull himself off of Winston who was struck by one bullet in the shoulder. After a quick inspection, Bucky assures him that he will be okay. “It didn’t hit anything major. It’s just gonna hurt like a bitch.”

Winston stares at him in shock. Then his eyes move to Bucky’s shirt that is slowly staining red. “You were hit.” Bucky nods and grimaces. “Aw, fuck. I think that’s three hits they got on me.” He groans as he fumbles with Winston’s ropes. Scott rushes over.

“I’ve got this, Barnes,” he says as he takes over untying Winston.

Bucky places his bloody hand on the wall and makes his way over to Jack who is lying on the floor under Iron Man’s foot. As his blood drips and pools on the floor, he imagines ripping Jack’s throat out. Jack stares at him defiantly. 

“Go with Natasha, Barnes. Bruce can help you on the quinjet. Y/N is there.”

Bucky continues to stare at Jack who gives him a blood-stained smile. 

“Tell Y/N I’m going to miss our coffee dates.”

Bucky rears back but Tony puts his hand to his chest. “We need him for questioning. Don’t be stupid, Barnes. We’ve already seen what happens when we let our emotions get in the way, haven’t we?” 

Bucky bristles at first, but when Tony’s eyes dart to his vibranium arm, he realizes Tony isn’t talking about him.

“Okay.”

Scott gets Winston free and helps him to the door. “I’ve hated that man for so long and he just took three bullets for me,” Winston says quietly as he follows Bucky to the quinjet.

***

The extraction team arrives and enters the cabin. Two hostages are tied up and two people sit at the kitchen table in near darkness.

“Let’s load up. Get ready to go,” says one of the team members. He walks over and looks at the Soldier, who is bloody and bandaged. “Good job. They are very happy at headquarters about this.”

Another team member is standing in front of the hostage at the radiator.

“Are they now?” Clint pops his head up and uses his leg to swipe the other man’s legs out from under him. He hits the floor. Bucky stands and knocks out the second guy with one punch. The third turns to the table where Tony snaps on the light, revealing himself and Steve. Natasha steps out of the shadows in the corner. The man drops his weapon and surrenders.

“Tsk tsk,” Tony says. “No wonder you couldn’t hack it in HYDRA. Where’s the commitment? Where’s the dedication? The cut off one head, two more grow in its place bullshit?”

Steve looks up at Bucky and nods at him. “We got these guys. You get to the quinjet and be with Y/N. And rest yourself. Three bullets is a lot, even for supersoldiers.”

Bucky gives a pained smile. “On my way.”


	10. Conclusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading my story everyone! My next one will be to return to Bucky and Reader from Yesterday is Gone. I just love them so much and I'm super proud of that story. A couple readers requested one shots from their lives so that's my plan, to write a few glimpses into their relationship. Keep an eye out!
> 
> Also, I didn't do the best job of responding to comments on this story, but I read them all and they were super motivating to keep going! Thank you!

I stretch out on the lounge chair cautiously. I’m still a bit sore from my injuries, but I’m healing well. Besides the beating my face took, Bruce discovered a deep gash on my back requiring stitches, likely from when I got thrown in the trunk, and my ribs were seriously bruised from Jack’s kick. But at least my face is a soft pukey yellow now, rather than purple and black. 

Bucky has created a makeshift double lounge here on the compound roof for us by putting two chairs together and covering them with soft blankets and pillows. He’s snuggled into my side, arm over my waist, carefully avoiding my sore spots, an occasional soft snore escaping him. He has not strayed from my side since we got back though I know he has an approaching mission to help the rest of the team wipe out what’s left of Jack’s group. I’m not to leave the compound until they are certain the threat is clear. But Bucky swears he’s taking me somewhere amazing afterward. I told him to surprise me.

I realize Bucky is awake when I feel his fingers gently stroke my side. I look down at him and he gives me a sleepy smile. He may have taken three bullets, but his recovery is far beyond mine. It terrifies me to know how easily I could have lost him had one of those bullets hit the right spot, but those same bullets that horrify me, seem to have given him some peace. He can’t give Winston back his grandfather, but this helps to ease the pain of his past. 

Bucky pushes my shirt up just enough to reveal my fading bruises. He places soft kisses all over the colorful area. 

There is soft buzzing above us. We look up to see Redwing hovering over us. It does a few loops like its showing off and circles above us.

Bucky gives it the finger and yells, “Get out of here, pervert!” We hear Sam guffaw from the ground and Redwing disappears from sight. 

I shift and wrap my arms around Bucky; he slowly places his head against my chest, giving me time to react if anything hurts. I kiss the top of his head and stroke his hair. I feel at peace being with him in our special place, the site of our first kiss (and the first...ahem) as well as the spot we’ve spent so many hours together.

He lifts his head and our lips meet. Now that my lip is nearly healed, we can at least kiss properly. His stubble scratches me in a tantalizing manner. 

“This is my favorite place to be with you.”

“Mine too,” I reply. “I’m glad you suggested coming up. And making this awesome chair for us.” I giggle.

“Anything for you,” Bucky replies. He subtly checks his pocket to make sure the little box is still safely tucked inside. It’s almost sunset. He’s ready.


End file.
